Revenge of the Heir

Responsibilities

For two weeks Eric was able to take over the management of the entirety of the Heinrich Family Trust. He was surprised that it was made up of 80 separate boards of directors, and he summoned each of them to a conference that not even the families was aware of. 80 men and women filed into the office building, each of them a Chairman that controlled some aspect of the Trust that supplied his family with benefits. Eric walked in at the exact moment he had scheduled the meeting to begin, and when he shut the door and sat at the head of the table all of them fell silent.

"Well, I assume all of you received the memo about why we are here today?" he asked them as he knew he was the rightful chairman of all their boards since he was the Lord of the Heinrich Family.

There was a general consensus that they did indeed know, and each of them had supplied him with paper copies of their reports. He looked at the 4 stacks in front of him, and smiled as he shook his head.

"As flattered as I am with this, I believe each of you has digital copies of all of this information. I would like access to those digital networks so that I may perform an in depth analysis of the Trust itself." Eric told all of them as they all blanched knowing that could take years. It had not actually been completed in the time since Alexander Heinrich himself had created the trust shortly after the bombs fell in the last world war.

"Sir, the Board of each company is tasked with ensuring the operations of their Corporations. Is there some reason that you suspect we are not performing our functions?" one of the women asked him from along the table.

"None at all, however each of you runs your section of the Trust as separate entities, and that is no longer how we will be operating moving into the future. I am not asking any of you to do anything more at the moment than giving me access to your current digital files, do you have an issue with that?" Eric asked her directly.

There was a little grumbling around the table, as they knew that they ultimately would have no choice. He was the new Lord of the Family, and he did indeed have the right to ensure that it was ran the way in which he wanted too.

"Sir, it is more of a concern about knowing what you are looking at and responding appropriately. It is ultimately our responsibility to ensure that our Corporations serve all of the investors, not just your interests." another of them said.

"So you are concerned that I would not understand your internal documents?" Eric asked them as he displayed his educational achievements as the majority of them agreed. "Good thing this is the resume of the person who will be working for my office during this analysis. Do any of you have questions about whether or not he can understand the complexities of your Corporations?" he asked them all with a sense of irony.

They looked at the skills listed on the resume, and were impressed with the level of skills the person had. Not a single one of the CEO's could think of a single objection, or even a question that would challenge this person.

"How long until we meet the person we will be working with?" Brian Montgomery asked him.

"Oh that is my resume, so unless I am mistaken we have already met." Eric said as all of them showed their shock on their faces making him chuckle. "Do not assume that just because I am young I do not have the skills. I have been preparing for this my entire life, and I assure you that I will be returning this family to a source of power for the Empire. If you fight me on this, I assure you that you will be replaced quickly. None of us is irreplaceable, so long as you join me in making this family better, you have nothing to worry about. Let's get started setting up my access, and than we will discuss the current situation of each of your Corporations." Eric told them as he began with the person sitting on his immediate right.

By the time he had finished grilling each of the CEO's about their operations after they secured his access to their mainframes, it was time for dinner and Holly walked in without knocking. It made each of them look at her, surprised that someone would dare just barge in like that.

"Are you ready to go to dinner yet?" she asked him before she looked at the rest of the people sitting there. "Good thing the Event Center is available." she finished.

"I am ready to go to dinner, we will continue this over dinner at the Stewart's Event Center." Eric said looking at them as he stood up and left with her.

Half an hour later they found themselves filed into a fancy restaurant, and the CEOs were impressed that he had brought them all here. It was one of the fanciest restaurants in the city, and their Event Center cost a fortune to rent for a dinner of this many people. They were even more impressed when they delivered full menu's, as events like this were typically restricted to just a few dishes to keep costs lower.

After everyone ordered, Eric looked at them all as he got their attention. "Now that the painful part of this exercise is over, we shall be changing how this orginization is run. I am expanding my operations exponentially as I force this family to actually act as one. Just like them the first thing I noticed about your operations is they are all fragmented. Some of you pay more for the same materials from the same companies, simply because you go through less than others who can order them cheaper for you. As such the supply chains will be brought in line with the various families, as we centralize how we obtain the resources needed for all of us at the cheapest possible prices. How far you all work together in the future will definitely be addressed, as your best avenue for saving money sits around this table. Tell me, why has this board not come together before now so everyone can save and make money?" he asked them all as their drinks were delivered.

"Sir, we have not gathered before now because your grandfather saw us all as separate entities. As such, it never occurred to us to work together for joint ventures. Now that it is mentioned however, I believe there are several ventures I know of that others around the table would be the perfect partners for." Brian said as a lot of them agreed with his assessment.

"Excellent, now the details you have needed from me. I understand that according to the finances, the Trust has a current balance of $13 Trillion to invest. I will be taking 5 of it to invest in other companies that will bridge the gaps between all of the companies here, and those controlled by the Heinrich families. That leaves 8 trillion for the 80 of you to split, which brings the total to $100 billion each I believe. You all know what your Corporations need, and will be trusted to use that money to expand your operations." he told them all as they looked at each other curiously.

"Sir, are you sure that is how you wish to distribute the investment funds?" Brian asked knowing some of the Corporations weren't even worth that much.

"That is exactly how I plan to perform the investments into the Corporations. Like I said, I intend to invest $5 trillion of it myself, and some of it may be assigned to your companies on top of the investments." he replied as the appetizers were delivered to the table. Despite the seriousness of the conversation, it was actually somewhat pleasant.

"Be that as it may sir, some of the Corporations aren't even valued at $100 billion. It is not a small amount for any of us to invest." Brian said nervous. His was one of the larger Corporations, and $100 Billion would nearly double his value.

Ashley Daniels laughed as she looked at him. "Nervous about how much you might suck at investing and be shown as a fraud?" she asked clearly making a poke at him.

Brian snorted as he looked at her. "Some of us got to where we are on our own merits, not because daddy up and died leaving you as his only heir." he retorted clearly dismayed that she had challenged him. Their banter made a few of them laugh as they all realized they were about to get a massive boost to their balance sheets, and that much money would open a lot of doors.

"I do not mind if you make this a competition, however I expect each of you will use this money for maximum benefit to your respective orginizations. You will answer only to me, and showing you are unable to handle this investment will be tantamount to declaring you are not prepared to continue working at the head of one of my Corporations." Eric told all of them as they all ate their appetizers.

The next morning Eric walked into his office, and was surprised to see a man wearing a red suit sitting in the chair waiting to see him. Eric walked over to his coffee pot and turned it on before he turned and looked at the man.

"Most people would consider it rude for someone to take the liberty of entering their locked office without authorization." Eric said simply wanting to see his reaction.

The man slowly closed the file he had been looking up as he looked at Eric. "Few have the authority I do, and you would be wise to heed my words carefully. It is not often that I get to meet with someone outside of Congress, so I am not surprised you are unaware of who exactly I am." he said as he stood up.

"You are the voice of the Empire, answerable to only the Emperor. Tasked with delivering messages that can be assumed comes directly from the mouth of the Emperor himself." Eric answered as he listened to the coffee percolate behind him. "It does not change the fact of my statement, some may find it rude that you enter their private offices without invitation." Eric replied.

The man in the crimson suit looked at him, and smiled as he looked at him. "Maybe so, I however have no need to ask to wait where I wish. I could have just as easily met you at your home and delivered the message there." he said as he lay the file he had been looking at on Eric's desk.

Eric could tell it was not a file of his, as he knew he did not leave files out at night. "What is your message Voice of the Empire?" Eric asked him with a little curiosity.

"The time draws near that you must reveal yourself to be a contributing Lord of the Empire. You have 28 days remaining until your protection ends by law, and Tycho wishes you to emerge before that as a show of strength." he said as he stood up.

"Inform him that my show of strength will be far more dramatic than simply announcing who I am, it will be a wakeup call for all of the Lord's as they learn the extent to which I have waged war against all of them for many years. Their mistake was believing that just because my father was not alive to train me after high school, does not mean I didn't learn much of what he had to teach. Our battle started many years ago, and they have been loosing badly as time goes by." Eric said as Stacy entered his office.

"Sir, should I call security?" she asked as she looked at the man in the crimson suit.

"No, in fact if you should see this man again, allow him entry no matter what he interupts." Eric told her as she nodded. "Is there anything else that he has to say?" he asked the man.

"Not anything beyond what is in that file, the spoken words is not so much an order. Enjoy your 4 weeks Lord Heinrich." he said before he left Eric's office.

Stacy watched him leave before she looked at him with a curious look. "Who was that?" she asked.

"The Voice of the Empire." Eric said as he opened the file and saw it was a listing of military assets that were under the control of his Lordship. He knew he would have to wait for her to leave and his calendar to be a little less full before he would have the chance to review the file. "How many interviews do I have this morning?" he asked her as he closed it and slid it into a locked drawer.

"13 sir, this afternoon however is clear. These are the final candidates for the department heads, and the notes of the other 2 rounds are the first page." Stacy answered as she pointed to the stack of files on the right side of his desk. "Heather Paige is already here."

"Give me 5 minutes and send her in." he said as he found her file and began reviewing it quickly.

He saw she had just completed her tour of duty for the Imperial Army after graduating with a MBAF, and was glad to see that her qualifications were exemplary. Both of her interviews had been flawless, and he knew that she was applying for the President of Finance for his new company. She followed Stacy in, and he kept looking through the file as she began speaking.

"Heather Paige, this is Eric Heinrich, he will be conducting your interview today." Stacy said as she invited her to sit down before she walked out.

Eric waited until the door was closed, and kept looking at the last few pages of the file before he closed it and looked at her. "Nice to meet you Ms. Paige, how has the process been so far?" he asked her.

Heather chuckled for a moment as she looked at him. "Beginning to think it will be nothing but endless interviews. A so called director, an executive assistant, and now let me guess, head custodian?" she asked sarcastically.

Eric chuckled as he had read that in her military file, something she was likely unaware he had seen. "Not exactly, but he does report to me as well I suppose. I guess more of an introduction is in order. I am Eric, Lord of the Heinrich Family." he said as he extended a hand to her.

Her face went blank as she realized exactly what he was saying, and knew she had likely offended him. "I am so sorry sir, I did not realize you would be so young." she said as she shook his hand. "Heather Paige sir."

Eric chuckled again as he looked her in the eye and knew she would be a good fit. "Tell ya what, you keep that attitude, and you will go far with me. Now that you know we are not wasting your time today, tell me if you are seriously considering the offer of Temple Diagnostics?" he asked showing he knew they had submitted a written offer.

"I am considering it, however it would not be my first choice of employment. It would be foolish not to consider their offer." she replied unapologetic. "Tell me why I should come work for you? Your office doesn't seem to be well staffed." she said looking out the window.

"Well this one anyway, but don't judge a book by its cover. My office is currently a tad bit understaffed, it however creates amazing opportunities for the rare few who would be willing to look at the challenge and see if they can succeed." Eric said as he seemed unconcerned about what she was seeing. "Do you like challenges Ms. Paige?" he asked her with a smile.

"I believe I thrive when I am challenged. What challenges would I be facing as the President of sunshine Investments?" she asked him.

Eric smiled as he looked at her. "The Heinrich Family consists of 36 heads of house that make up our voting tables. Each of them is made up of between one and 12 Families, mine being the only one in my family branch at the moment as my parents died when I was an only child. Each of them has a Corporate Empire of one size or another, and many of them have multiple Companies that report to them. The Family Trust is made up of another 80 Corporations that supply military arms and materials to the Empire. We currently have $5 trillion dollars to invest to strengthen our position in those fields alone, and as the President of Finance a large share of the work would be your responsibility. If that however is too much of a challenge, I won't hold it against you." he said as her jaw dropped in surprise.

"Th-that would take an army of finance officers." she managed to say as she considered what exactly it would take to coordinate all of that.

"110 Chief Finance Officers, and an army of employees under them. You would not be responsible for all of them, as the families would only be responsible for reporting their own numbers. The 80 Corporations that make up the trust are run by their own board of directors, and they would mostly be in the same category. Your primary responsibilities would be running my personal investment arm, which is currently the $5 trillion this year alone." he said as she nodded a bit.

"Something tells me it is going to be a little more complicated than that, as I have a feeling some of those families will need more support than others. Most of us are realizing that the more connected family businesses like this are, the more successful they are in the long run. How much interaction is between them?" she asked.

"We will get to that, there is more that needs to be discussed before we get to all of that." he said as he continued her interview.

As soon as the last of his interviewees left, he pulled the file out and opened it again. It was a full list of bases and assets at each that he would ultimately be responsible for managing. It was why the Lord's were expected to be Military, because they would command multiple units that protected the Empire in different ways. His list contained assets that included Naval, Air Force, and Marine assets for the ground. His Naval Tactics were not the strongest, but he knew enough that he would be able to understand them should he ever need to. He reviewed it carefully, and saw that each of them was assigned to the Command of the Lord of the Heinrich Family. He knew that this would be interesting, as he had yet to go to Washington for his awards ceremony. He suddenly realized that was exactly what the Voice had meant, because as soon as he did that he would essentially be revealed to the Empire.